Jamesport Meeting House
Also known as: Jamesport Congregational Church
Why it's listed
Jamesport Meeting House is a shingled, timber-framed church at the corner of Main Road and Manor Lane in Jamesport, on Long Island's North Fork. The congregation first built on the site in 1731, and master builder Rogers Aldrich rebuilt the structure in 1859, enlarging the footprint, adding larger windows and placing the entrance in a projecting steeple tower. The result is a restrained, vernacular Greek Revival sanctuary. Later changes include a lecture room designed by Cuyler B. Tuthill in 1897, pressed-tin interior finishes from about 1898, a shorter mansard-roofed steeple after lightning destroyed the original in 1900, and a Doric portico added in 1912. Foundation stones and interior wainscoting survive from the 1731 building. The church was the first religious building in what is now the Town of Riverhead and is the most intact building in the locally designated Jamesport Hamlet Historic District. It was listed for its architecture and its role in the hamlet's growth.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the 1859 building is significant for its vernacular Greek Revival architecture, with a later Colonial Revival portico and a lecture room addition. It was the second meeting house on the site and served one of the first religious groups in what became the Town of Riverhead. It is also one of the oldest buildings in Jamesport and the most intact in the local historic district.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 09000039, listed February 20, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1590 Main Rd., Jamesport |
|---|---|
| County | Suffolk County |
| Listed | February 20, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000039 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1859-1957 |
| Architect / builder | Rogers Aldrich; Cuyler Tuthill (1898 addition) |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant. The congregation merged with another in the 1970s, and a Unitarian Universalist fellowship began renting the building in 2005 intending to acquire and preserve it. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.95190, -72.58063 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 09000039.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14706624
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.